Samhaine
by sunstarunicorn
Summary: What do you do when your niece wants to go as Hawkeye and your nephew wants to go as Booster Gold? Start the first Avengers League International, of course! Featuring Greg Parker as Maxwell Coulson, founder, manager, and instigator of this year's Halloween shenanigans. A Magical Flashpoint Side Story
1. You Want to be Who for Halloween?

**_Chapter One: You Want to be Who for Halloween?_**

Author note: This story is part of the Magical Flashpoint Side Story series. It follows "At the Intersection of Magic and Technology" and comes before "Nobody Said Anything About Magic". This story is set before "Scorpio" (Flashpoint Pilot).

Please, enjoy my fun little romp through an absolutely _wicked_ idea for a Flashpoint Halloween. My inner geek gets free rein in this story and she's cackling even as I write this. Sorry, Sam fans, but this is set before Sam joins the team, so no Sam.

Although all original characters belong to me, I do not own _Flashpoint_ , _Harry Potter_ , _Narnia_ , or _Merlin_. I also do not own the Avengers or Justice League International.

* * *

There were days that Greg Parker bitterly regretted letting Spike introduce his _nipotes_ to modern technology and modern entertainment. This was rapidly becoming one of those days as niece and nephew loudly debated – squabbled over – the merits of Marvel and DC Comics superheroes. Each was firmly convinced that 'their' heroes were better in every way, shape, and form…and they were determined to convince the other. The argument was getting ever more heated as the month of October progressed – and Halloween drew closer; Greg was sick and tired of it.

"Okay, enough you two," he finally broke in as their voices rose. "Each of you pick someone to go as for Halloween…and not another _word_ about who the other person picks or I'll introduce you to the concept of being _grounded_ for Halloween."

Greg blithely ignored the twin pouts he received from the pair; if pouting meant they weren't arguing anymore…well, it meant he didn't have to listen to said arguing. Of course, ignoring them meant he missed the silent consultation between the siblings as they 'decided' on a way to get back at their uncle – without being punished.

"Uncle Greg?" Alanna asked as sweetly as she could. The suspicious look she got was everything the two could have wished for; their uncle was on guard and wary. "Are you going to dress up for Halloween?"

Parker almost dropped his coffee cup; he'd last dressed up for Halloween when his son, Dean, was six – over eight years earlier. To cover himself, he replied hastily, "I wasn't planning on it, _mia nipote_ ; Halloween's more of a kid's holiday…" He trailed off at the twin pleading looks he got from both children; Alanna even managing to produce wide, tearful eyes, along with a tiny sniffle. Greg rolled his eyes skyward, praying for deliverance…or failing that, patience. With a heavy sigh, he offered up a response known to parents world-wide when they have no _real_ intention of doing something, but don't want to admit that out loud. "I'll think about it, _mia nipote_."

* * *

Arriving at work was a relief, especially with the idea both kids seemed to have seized upon when he wasn't looking: namely that their uncle should dress up for Halloween. Though he'd been looking forward to having a day off, now he was hoping Team One had work on Halloween; it would be an easy excuse and he could drop the kids off at the Wordsworths the day of, thus avoiding the issue neatly.

Greg changed into his uniform and left the locker room for the briefing room, planning to tackle the ever-constant paperwork, when Sally waved him over. "Yes, Sally?" he queried, detouring to her desk.

"Sorry, sir, but Commander Holleran asked to speak with you as soon as possible."

"Copy that," Greg acknowledged, changing his direction to Commander Holleran's office. He knocked at the door and, at the "Enter" from within, walked into his commander's office. "Sir? Sally said you asked to speak with me?"

Behind his desk, the older man looked up, giving his sergeant a smile. "Yes, actually. Have a seat, Greg." Once Greg slid into the offering seat, Holleran continued, "I have good news and I have bad news."

"Okay?"

"The good news is that your team is going to be off-duty for Halloween." Greg stiffened; he had a bad feeling about where this was going. "The bad news is that your team might as well _be_ on-duty: I've been requested to send my top team and their families to the Mayor's Halloween party."

"In our uniforms?" Greg asked, hopeful.

That hope died as Holleran shook his head regretfully. "Halloween party, Sergeant; costumes, no uniforms." As Greg's shoulders slumped, Holleran added, "Also, I've been…encouraged…to tell you to have everyone in similar costumes; a common theme, if you will."

Grasping at one last straw, Greg questioned, "So, the kids in one theme…" He stopped at Holleran's headshake.

"Same theme for _everyone_ , Sergeant Parker. Your team, any spouses, any kids…all the same theme."

 _Oh, joy…_

* * *

Team One was rather unnerved by their Sergeant's long face before the day had even really started. They settled into their seats in the briefing room with wary, taut expressions, but their Sergeant waited until everyone was present before speaking.

"We've been _invited_ to a Halloween party being thrown by our local elected officials."

Ed arched a brow. "Nice of them," he drawled. "I think I have other plans that day."

The rest of the team had agreeing expressions on their faces, but Parker just sighed. "Sorry, Ed, but I'm afraid this is one invitation we can't refuse…Holleran's orders." He made a face at the groans. "I'm with you guys…I'm not any more interested than _you_ are. To top it off, we've also been ordered to A) Be in costume, _not_ uniform and B) Our costumes have to have a common theme. Not just us, but any guests – wives, children, and so on – have to be in common theme costumes too."

Now he was getting dismayed looks, especially from Ed and Wordy. "How the heck are we supposed to come up with a theme that _everyone_ agrees on?" Wordy questioned, already dreading telling Shelley and their girls the news.

"I don't think we _can_ , Wordy," Parker replied glumly. "No matter which theme we pick, someone's going to be unhappy." He tapped his pen against his notebook, thinking a moment, then huffed a sigh and 'fessed up. " _Mio nipotes_ are going to be happy though; they asked me this morning if _I_ was going to dress up with them for Halloween." The snickers from his team were worth the momentary embarrassment.

"What do they want to go as?" Jules inquired.

A brief laugh. "Last I heard, they were squabbling over DC and Marvel superheroes: Lance wants to go as Booster Gold, a second-string minor hero in DC, and 'Lanna wants to go as Hawkeye, another minor hero in Marvel." He tossed a mock glare at Spike. "I blame _you_ for that, Mr. Scarlatti – and for showing them _The Avengers_."

Laughter rose again as Spike ducked his head and attempted to look innocent. Jules, though, had a thoughtful look on her face. When the laughter died down, she asked Ed and Wordy, "Would Sophie and Shelley go for a superhero theme? I'm sure there are some lady heroes who aren't _too_ bad to dress up as."

"Jules?" Lou questioned, looking surprised. " _You'd_ go for a superhero theme?"

Jules shrugged. "Why not, Lou? Like Sarge said, no one's going to be completely happy with whatever we pick, so one theme's as good as any other. If the kids are already planning _their_ costumes out, maybe we can at least keep them happy." She looked over at Ed. "Unless Clark has already planned something else?"

"Not sure," Ed admitted, considering. "Soph might know, though. Have to call her anyway."

"Go, both of you," Greg decided, nodding to Wordy and Ed. "If they're game for a superhero theme, maybe the kids and I can contribute some costume ideas and props…the least they can do for getting me in costume on Halloween."

Snickers rose from Team One as they contemplated what the kids might come up with. One thing was for sure…Halloween was going to be interesting this year…


	2. Halloween Plots and Schemes

**_Chapter Two: Halloween Plots and Schemes_**

To say that Lance and Alanna were delighted by the Halloween party was to vastly understate the case. In addition to being far too smug – in Greg's opinion – they were all but cackling as they dragged him through the barrier to Toronto's main magical mall.

Once on the magic side of the mall, they didn't slow down; forcing their uncle to speed up or be dragged by the overeager teenagers. By the time they reached the bottom of the slope, Greg was seriously reconsidering Jules' superhero theme suggestion, but he was pretty sure it was much too late for that.

Though months earlier, the kids had been puzzled by the directory, today they studied the directory as if they'd been using directories their entire lives; a substantial improvement over their first few mall visits. Lance employed his best mix of puppy-eyes and teenage independence to win the right of visiting the bank for magical currency alone, though Greg only allowed it because he knew the bank was just around the corner. The SRU Sergeant had yet to actually visit the bank himself, but the kids' stories about the goblin bankers made it clear they'd regard harming a customer as anathema.

Alanna, in the meantime, had pin-pointed where she and her uncle were heading: a small shop right off the beaten track called Pierre's Custom Robes and Samhaine Costumes.

"Samhaine?" Greg inquired as they headed for the shop.

A small shrug. "Most people call it Halloween these days, even in the magical world, but purebloods will still have Samhaine…right down to the rituals."

One brow arched. "What about your family?"

Another shrug. "We're kind of odd…our family's pureblood, but we don't go in for a lot of the traditions and rituals the other pureblood houses do. Just how it is."

Without elaborating, the young girl led the way into the shop and promptly commandeered one of the store clerks to help them with costumes for every member and family member of Team One. Greg had occasion to appreciate the kids' insistence on him getting _accurate_ measurements of every one; the poor shop clerk looked pathetically grateful for the measurements at the news that only three of the costumes could be fitted in the store. Of course, that didn't stop the clerk from hinting – often – that the costume fits would be better if every costume was tailored in the store.

The…source material…was another thing Greg was grateful to have, since they were trying to have tech-side fictional superhero costumes made in a _magic-side_ tailor shop. The clerk was still rather puzzled by the tech-side superheroes, but with source material, the store at least had an _idea_ of what Team One wanted made. Though Greg had never thought he'd consider comic books and movie stills to be 'source material'.

Lance arrived partway through the process, looking satisfied with his morning's work. Purely because the boy looked so cheeky, Greg made him go first when it came to the actual fitting process. Like any other teenage boy, Lance wasn't altogether pleased with being poked and prodded and fitted, but, knowing his uncle's patience was almost exhausted, he kept quiet. Just to get it over with, Greg went second, then stood back and watched Alanna's turn. To Greg's ill-concealed amusement, Alanna was just as unhappy with being fitted as her brother was, though she too put up with the process without open complaint.

Afterwards, Greg was a bit disconcerted that the clerk focused on Lance as the 'young, rich pureblood heir' and came close to ignoring the 'Muggle'. Lance kept his poise, used to handling store clerks from watching his father and mother, though he subtly insulted the clerk for ignoring his uncle. The clerk, in his turn, either didn't understand the tech-side insults Lance was using or ignored them.

Then the clerk brought up an issue Greg had thought they'd dealt with at the outset. "Are you certain you wish these…Muggle characters for your costumes?" the clerk inquired, clearly hoping that Lance would say no.

Lance's eyes narrowed. "My uncle and sister, I'm sure, showed you everything you need to make the costumes. It's not your business if we choose to have costumes of non-magical characters made; it's your business to _make_ the costumes." The teen paused, considering a moment. "Of course, if you'd rather we went somewhere else…"

Snubs or no snubs, Greg was hard-pressed to keep from snickering at the speed of the clerk's back-pedal, reassuring them that _of course_ they could make the costumes and _of course_ it was no trouble that they wanted such… _unusual_ …costumes made.

After the trio departed with the assurance that their costumes would be ready in a day or two, Greg just chuckled. "So, hit 'em right in the pocketbook and they fold every time."

A quirked grin from his nephew was the initial response; the teen not quite sure what his uncle meant at first. But, after a few seconds and a cocked head, Lance figured it out. "Oh! Yeah, pretty much, Uncle Greg. I think they were hoping that after all the fitting and stuff, we'd just go along with whatever costumes they wanted to push instead of doing it all over again somewhere else."

"Double-edged sword," Greg mused. "After all, they'd spent the time _doing_ the fittings and discussing the costumes with me and Alanna."

He received twin wicked smirks. "That's why my brother's bluff worked," Alanna chirped. "They're really the best place for what we wanted, Uncle Greg, so Lance didn't actually want to walk out. Good thing they fell for the bluff."

Lance moved on, though he still smirked. "Okay, that's the costumes set and I've got the accessories arranged. It'll take a little fiddling to get everything working right once we've got the costumes and accessories, but we can do that at home, no problem." He tossed a wink at his sister. "Our account manager wants to know how you liked the bow once everything is said and done, sis."

"Copy that," Alanna agreed, bouncing forward.

"I've created two monsters, haven't I?" Greg moaned as theatrically as he could.

Both children giggled.

"So what's our superhero team going to be called, Uncle Greg?" Lance questioned, curiosity dancing in sapphire depths.

It was Greg's turn to give them a evil grin. "You'll see."


	3. Avengers League International

**_Chapter Three: Avengers League International_**

Author's note: It occurred to me that most of my costume ideas are either old, obscure, or both. A friend of mine, when I sent him the blurb for this story, asked what all the references were. So, a few things to clarify, I hope. First of all, almost all costumes/characters are from either the Marvel movie franchise or the initial Justice League International run in 1987. Yes, they are almost _all_ minor characters of one stripe or another…for some reason, I love the minor characters and underdogs better than the more established heroes.

My challenge to those reading is thus: see if you can figure out who's who. No points for Greg or the kids, but everyone else is fair game. For the Wordsworth girls, I also include the hint that Claire is the oldest, Lilly is the middle child, and Allie is the youngest. And in a slightly early spoiler, yes, there really _is_ a character named Big Barda and she was referred to as such.  For extra credit, which character was not either in the Marvel movie franchise _or_ the JLI run?

* * *

Regardless of how some members of Team One wished that time would stop and Halloween night would never come, the night, inevitably, arrived. The Wordsworth home was deemed to be the closest to the actual party and therefore designated as the pre and post party staging area for Team One.

Two hours before showtime, the team arrived, straggling into Wordy's home with the food supplies they'd been asked to bring. To the group's consternation, none of them had been requested to bring any costume supplies, implying that the costumes would be entirely supplied by their Sergeant and his 'secretly' magical _nipotes_.

Thus, they were amused and resigned when Greg and his kids arrived with three large suitcases. The adults recognized that the size of the suitcases were for Clark, Claire, Lilly, and Allie's benefit; the young Lane and Wordsworths didn't know about magic. Of course, when the adults got a gander at their costumes, they suddenly weren't so sure the size of the suitcases had been for the youngsters' benefit. They also weren't sure how Lance and Alanna planned to get through the night without adding the other kids to the list of those who knew about their magic.

* * *

Mayor Dickerson wasn't quite sure what to think of the newest arrivals to his annual Halloween party. According to their invitations, they were part of the city's Strategic Response Unit, but he was wondering if they'd gotten the memo on all of them dressing up in the same _theme_. Sure, they were all – almost all – in superhero garb, but he was quite sure they'd dressed as heroes from different _franchises_.

Therefore, he approached their Sergeant – one Greg Parker – and inquired, "So, can you introduce me to your team, Sergeant Parker?"

Greg Parker, dressed in one of the blandest, most innocent business suits he'd ever seen, gave him what could only be called a snake oil salesman's grin. "Certainly, Mayor Dickerson. Though, I should probably introduce myself first." Before the bewildered politician could figure out a reply, Parker was shaking his hand and re-introducing himself, "Maxwell Coulson, sir; manager for Avengers League International." As Dickerson was escorted over to the heroes, he was quite sure he heard a few stifled snickers from them.

"First, Mr. Mayor, our lovely ladies," 'Coulson' began, gesturing to three little girls by their mother. "These are Goldstar," the oldest waved, "Ice," the middle girl smiled shyly, "and Black Canary." The youngest proved the aptness of her given name with a wail in her mother's direction.

Goldstar was dressed in an all-white jumpsuit with gold bands on her gloves and boots, as well as a V-shaped gold belt. On her neck and chest was a large triangle of gold, with a blue star in the center of her chest. Ice had on a blue and white jumpsuit, the blue on her legs forming a long stripe up each leg and cutting the white stripe off at her midriff in a triangle shape. Her white gloves climbed up to mid upper arm and she wore a cut-off white tank top over her jumpsuit. Her boots were made of white fur and climbed to mid-calf. Little Black Canary, picked up by her mother by now, had on a dark blue outfit, with black forming small wings on her chest and contrasting nicely with the dark blue on her legs. White pirate boots stood out on her feet, paired with a small white belt and black gloves trimmed with white.

'Coulson' gave the Mayor a moment to appreciate the little girls' costumes before introducing their mother and the other two ladies. "Next, we have Black Widow," the girls' mother gave 'Coulson' an amused look, "Big Barda," the woman by the tallest of the group gave a little wave, "and my personal assistant, Pepper Potts," the red-haired woman shook the Mayor's hand.

The girls' mother was dressed in an all black leather outfit with gun holsters on both legs and two devices attached to her forearms, just behind her wrists. Big Barda wore what looked like an Egyptian type outfit, complete with a pharaoh-like helmet, a long red cape, and a blue scaled jumpsuit. The jumpsuit had a large gold geometric belt and gold metal skirt, with a golden rod device hanging from the belt. She also had black bands with gold ovals on them at mid upper arm, wrist, mid thigh, and at the top of pale blue calf-high boots. Pepper Potts wore professional attire, a white blouse, gray-charcoal pants, and the female version of business shoes, along with an enigmatic smile.

Again, Coulson gave the Mayor a few moments to examine the costumes before moving on. He guided the Mayor over to the other three children, though the three were several years older than the three little girls. "Allow me to introduce Booster Gold and Blue Beetle," the two boys gave the Mayor identical prankster grins, "as well as Hawkeye," the final girl, her red hair flowing down her shoulders gave the Mayor a cocky smirk.

Booster Gold lived up to his name with a gold and blue jumpsuit. The golden hue was on his legs, his arms and his chest in the same triangle shape that Goldstar had. A blue star stood out on his chest in the center of the golden triangle and the same color was over most of his torso, ending in another triangle where his torso met his leggings. A golden Elvis upturned collar completed his jumpsuit. He also had a half hood, covering his neck and the sides of his face, but leaving his hair and face exposed. On his face, he had large yellow goggles on over his eyes. Two final bands of blue were on his wrists and he had angled blue boots that rose to mid-calf. Blue Beetle's outfit was in two shades of blue, one darker, one lighter. The darker shade formed a beetle silhouette on most of his chest and head with the lighter shade on the rest of his arms and torso. Like Booster, he had a hood and goggles, though his hood covered his head, leaving only his lower face exposed, and his goggles were shaped a bit more like cat's eyes. His gloves and boots were the same darker shade of blue as the beetle insignia as were the briefs common to superheroes of the 20th century. The rest of his costume was the lighter shade of blue. On his hip, he sported a small holster with an oddly shaped gun tucked in it. To complete the picture, he had a gold-toned belt, which was the same hue as his goggles. Hawkeye's costume was much simpler as it as almost all black. Black calf-high boots, black leggings, black sunglasses, and black quiver and bow. Her sleeveless tunic-like vest hugged her body and was mostly black as well, with a very dark shade of purple in a three pronged shape on the vest's front. The vest had protective ribbing visible underneath it and sat right above a belt with a steel buckle. A black archer's guard was strapped to her left arm and a protective wrist guard was on her right wrist.

The Mayor found his brows rising as he realized just how _detailed_ the costumes were. As Coulson guided him to the men, he was starting to appreciate the lengths Team One had gone to for his event. The two closest men shifted to attention as their leader approached and mischief danced in both sets of eyes. "Here we have Mister Miracle and Captain America," Coulson solemnly introduced.

Mister Miracle, the tallest of the group, looked part superhero, part showman, what with the massive flowing green cape with a stand up collar that was as high as his head. The cape fastened with two ostentatious golden clasps linked by a thin gold chain at his neck. The mask, which covered all but the man's eyes, was red and gold, with the gold in a starburst pattern. The rest of the jumpsuit had a base color of red, with green briefs and a gold band of color around his lower torso. A wide red belt with a few golden circles completed the jumpsuit. His gloves were just as green as the cape and between where they stopped and mid upper arm was a final band of gold. Captain America, as befit the character, wore a costume of red, white, and blue. Most of his costume was the bright blue color, with white serving as accents on his broad shoulders and on his biceps. On his midriff, the blue was abandoned in favor of vertical red and white stripes and he had a silver star on his chest. His gloves and boots were both a dark red leather while his belt was blue with interlinked equipment pouches and a small silver buckle. His mask covered his head and his face down to his nose, but the lower part of his face was easily seen. A large white A was on the mask's forehead and two small white wings were painted on the sides. As if the costume hadn't been enough, he also carried a large, round shield with a silver star on a blue circle in the middle, with red and silver stripes running around the central circle.

The final two heroes were both in suits of armor, but the armor managed to look mischievous, as if the pair beneath had managed to exude their attitudes to the inanimate material. Coulson's smile became a bit wider as he introduced them. "And last, but not least, I give you Iron Man and War Machine." Both nodded a greeting, Iron Man even putting up his faceplate for a moment to give the Mayor a little wink and a smirk full of the geek's innocent joy in his costume.

Iron Man was in his trademark red and gold armor. Naturally, the armor was mostly red, with gold accents sprinkled hither and thither. A circle of blue light shone from the center of the armored chest and gold was on the biceps, upper thighs, and formed Iron Man's faceplate and robotic mouth. The Mayor also spotted a few panels of gold on Iron Man's chest, torso, and boots, discreet and almost hidden in the mass of red armor. The armor's eyes glowed the same blue as the circle and it was clear the sleek panels hid an enormous amount of weaponry and destructive power. War Machine, by contrast, was all grays and silvers, with enough visible weaponry to destroy a tank battalion. The central circle glowed white, while the eyes glowed a subtle red and War Machine, in addition to a shoulder mounted Gatling gun, sported several visible missile pods and launchers.

Finally recovering his composure, the Mayor arched a brow and inspected all the heroes. With the exception of the three little girls, every last one of them was all but smirking at him. "Impressive," he managed. Frankly, he might have to have a word with Holleran about his top team showing up every last one of his other guests. With a rather limp smile, he added, "Welcome to the party."

* * *

Author's note: Honestly, words don't do most of these costumes justice (pun fully intended). I suggest a Google search for Justice League International and maybe the characters by name to see their actual costumes. Remember, I'm using the 1987 version of the JLI, _not_ the very short lived 2011 version. Ice actually had several different costumes over her run with the JLI, but I'm specifically envisioning the more modest jumpsuit she eventually wore instead of the bathing suit one she had at first. I don't think Shelley would let any of her girls out in _that_.

For Cap, Iron Man, and Hawkeye, I'm using the costumes they had on in the _first_ Avengers movie. War Machine is from Iron Man 2. I'm far more familiar with the Marvel movieverse, as that's actually how I was first introduced to the superhero genre in general. Then I played DC Universe Online and got curious about the guy doing all the tours and, well, that was that. I fell in love with Booster and his best friend Beetle…read pretty much all of their comic runs, then got heartbroken over the OMAC project and the subsequent DC Comics 'reboot' with the New 52.

And, since a friend of mine asked, Maxwell Coulson is a mixture of Maxwell Lord (of JLI fame) and Agent Phil Coulson (of Avengers fame).


	4. Enter the Villains

**_Chapter Four: Enter the Villains_**

Lance grinned and resisted the urge to bounce as yet another set of compliments over the realistic costumes Team One had on flowed in. Alanna had an identical look on her face; the two enjoying a very private joke over just _how_ the costumes had gotten so realistic. Clark wandered over with a drink in his hand, a surprising amount of mischief in his eyes.

"So, where _did_ you guys find these costumes?" he asked them, pulling the pair away from their current admirers.

Alanna shrugged at him. "Well, even before we got the invite for the party, we wanted to have really good costumes." Clark nodded in understanding. "So we tracked down a costume shop that did custom work and we were going to try and convince Uncle Greg to take us there when he told us about the party."

"Cool," Clark commented, taking a sip of his drink. Fingering his gun, he asked, "So, is that where you found the accessories too?"

Lance shook his head. "No, we found another place for that and put everything together at home. Uncle Greg wasn't happy when we took over the living room for a day or two, but we got it done."

Clark snickered, imagining his father's reaction to _him_ taking over the family living room. He was about to ask another question when a trio of gunshots made the youths jerk around and the guests scream in panic.

"Nobody move!" the shooter, a man dressed in an outrageous costume yelled from the room's small stage. Several other figures, also armed, stood around the speaker, aiming their weapons at the crowd of partygoers. Leering at the guests the leader drawled, "My associates are going to be coming around to relieve you of anything that catches their fancy. I suggest you behave," his eyes cut to the costumed superheroes, "especially the _superheroes_."

"And you are?" Uncle Greg asked calmly, though it was clear to the trio of kids that he was thinking furiously, trying to figure a way out of the unexpected turn of events.

Another leer from the man. "We'd be the Royal Flush Gang, Mr _._ Coulson…or should I say _Sergeant Parker_?"

With that, the man's associates approached, the four of them corralling the adult members of the superhero group. The three kids managed to fade back into the crowd and go unnoticed. Lance was studying the villains and frowning a bit. "Royal Flush Gang," he murmured, thinking hard. "But he looks like Loki, from the Avengers."

"Another mixed group?" Alanna asked, considering the villains herself.

Lance's nod was thoughtful. The leader, Loki, had that character's large golden helmet with the long, upward curving horns and Loki's green and gold long jacket. Underneath the jacket was a mostly black outfit, with dark brown boots and a few green and gold accents. The four who now corralled Team One were in garb Lance associated with the same Royal Flush Gang faced by Justice League International early in their adventures. Three of them wore similar outfits, with black pants, dark blue ruffled shirts, gold, red, and black vests, belts, and little crowns on their heads. The two men wore wigs that made them look like European nobles, while the woman wore her hair to her shoulders. The final member, another woman, wore an all white jumpsuit, with little black spades all over her outfit; ten spades in total.

"They're missing one," Lance hissed under his breath. "The Royal Flush Gang also has an android named Ace; so where's Ace?"

"Um, different problem," Clark put in, pointing at one more villainous arrival. Alanna hissed, drawing a cocked brow from her brother.

"The Winter Soldier," she explained grimly. The Winter Soldier was all in black, save his left arm, which was silver with a red star on it and he wore what looked like a cross between a mask and a muzzle over his face and eyes. "If he's like the _real_ Winter Soldier, that arm's not anything to play around with, brother mine."

"So…" Lance mused, "We're missing Ace, who _may_ be around here somewhere, the adults are cut off, people are being robbed right in front of us, and we have to deal with Loki and the Winter Soldier. Any _other_ problems?"

Alanna considered, then gave her brother a _Look_. "You aren't thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

Her brother smirked, then looked a question at Clark, who swallowed. "We're kids, what can _we_ do?"

"That," Lance remarked, "Is exactly what the bad guys think. And we're going to prove them wrong." He paused, studying Clark. "But if you want to stay out of it, Clark, that's your call. 'Lanna and I can do it by ourselves, so no harm if you want to hang back." Of course, he countered that with the challenging look he leveled at the older boy.

* * *

Things were going quite well for the Royal Flush Gang. They had the vaunted Team One corralled, the various politicians were being forced to surrender their valuables at gun point, and this year's haul was already promising to be double what they'd gotten _last_ year. All things considered, the risk of coming to the Mayor's Halloween party was far, far outweighed by the rewards.

In between one moment and the next things started to fall apart as a threat materialized from a quarter they had disregarded. Blue Beetle, proving that his gun wasn't just for show, hit the four Spade wearing villains with a blast from his Beetle gun, sending them flying as the blast of compressed air hit them, hard. Hawkeye angled her bow skyward and loosed, hitting one of the Halloween decorations' supporting rope and dropping the whole apparatus onto Loki. Booster Gold followed up Beetle's air blast with twin hits from his Booster Shots; shockingly, he was in the air and actually _flying_.

Team One moved; Captain America practically flying between the kids and the downed Spades with Mister Miracle just a step behind him as the latter triggered the aero-discs hidden in his boots. Iron Man and War Machine hit the air themselves, jetting towards the downed Loki and an enraged Winter Soldier. Black Widow, Big Barda, Pepper, and Coulson stayed back, the former two unwilling to get involved and the latter two unable to get involved without their weapons.

With a roar of fury, Loki exploded the Halloween decoration that had been dropped on his head; shrapnel flew everywhere. The black-haired man panted a moment, the glitter of magic dancing around him. To the incredulous shock of Team One, they realized that 'Loki' was, in fact, a wizard.


	5. Saving the World: One Disaster at a Time

**_Chapter Five: Saving the World: One Disaster at a Time_**

As if Loki being a wizard hadn't been a big enough surprise, there was a roar as Ace finally made his appearance. The android was completely white, except for the giant black spade on his chest; he punctuated his appearance by grabbing Iron Man out of midair and hurling him into War Machine…both heroes tumbled out of the air and hit the ground, temporarily down for the count.

With two of the adult heroes down, Pepper and Coulson moved, ignoring their lack of gear or armor. The pair managed, in short order, to restrain the still dazed Spades, freeing Captain America and Mister Miracle to deal with Loki, the Winter Soldier, and Ace. They were further assisted by Blue Beetle and a furious Big Barda, the latter of whom was willing to help restrain the downed villains so her husband could deal with the bigger threat.

But Loki, the Winter Soldier, and Ace were hardly pushovers. The Winter Soldier engaged Captain America, forcing the big man to keep his shield up or take one heck of a pounding. Mister Miracle had the advantage of being both airborne and fairly agile, but Loki and Ace still managed to keep him from scoring much more than a few glancing blows. Iron Man and War Machine were starting to struggle up, but their armor had taken a beating, slowing them down as they made to re-enter the fight.

Loki laughed as he threw another bolt at Mister Miracle. He fully intended to take a pound of flesh out of these _Muggles_ for interfering in his yearly game of chaos. Casting a look at Ace, he mused how the golem was actually proving to be worth the investment of magic it had taken to make it work. Then an arrow sprouted in the golem's eye; Ace bellowed its outrage and turned towards the slight, red-headed female who'd fired the arrow. She smirked, not at all afraid as the golem lumbered towards her. Before Loki could even cackle, her fingers danced over her bow and the arrow, still in Ace's eye, exploded. Ace howled, reeling backwards under the assault…right into a newly airborne Iron Man's repulsor blast. The girl ducked away as War Machine joined in; attacking the golem with his impressive arsenal.

Loki hefted his staff, fully intending to join the combat, when he, too, was hit unexpectedly. A small form arrowed into him from the side, knocking him off the stage and sending him skidding on the ground. The form promptly drew back and hovered, several feet off the ground, with a smug grin. Loki snarled and hurled his next attack at the boy, only to gape as his attack impacted a shield that seemed to simply _be_ around the youth; the boy hadn't used any magic whatsoever.

"Oops, having a little problem there?" the gold and blue boy mocked. "Oh…sorry, forgot to mention I have this little thing called a _force-field_ ; handles all those pesky little bolts of magic you're tossing my way." The 'force-field' glowed a little under Loki's attacks, but failed to show any noticeable strain as the frustrated wizard hurled as many spells as he could think of at the barrier. When Loki paused for a minute, the boy grinned one last time and remarked, "My turn." Then he brought up both wrists, aiming at Loki. Loki had time to wonder what the teen was doing before he was hit with twin blasts of blue light.

* * *

With Loki down and Ace on the defensive, it was time to deal with the Winter Soldier. Booster Gold frowned a moment, studying the melee; the Winter Soldier was still close enough to Captain America that neither Iron Man nor War Machine dared take a shot. Mister Miracle _could_ get in, but his arsenal was rather…limited since the character disliked killing. Hawkeye couldn't get a clear shot from the ground… _Hey, wait a sec…_ Booster Gold looked up, scanning the ceiling and rafters for a moment. _Bingo._

Before jetting over to Hawkeye, the hero took the time to haul the unconscious Loki over to Coulson, Pepper, Big Barda, and Beetle. "He's out for now, but he could wake up." Glancing over at Black Widow, he added, "Your Widow Bites are probably the best for knocking him out again."

She blinked, startled, but inclined her head. "Consider it done."

Booster Gold departed before Coulson could try and stop him. Shooting over to his sister, he noted, out of the corner of his eye, that Ace was down, but the Winter Soldier had managed to hurl Mister Miracle into Iron Man and War Machine. Only Captain America remained standing, though he was clearly pinned and his shield was taking an impressive beating. "Need a lift?" Booster Gold asked, winking at Hawkeye.

Glancing up, Hawkeye saw his plan and grinned. "Sure thing. But once I hit him, you'll have to follow up."

"Not a problem," Booster Gold replied, grabbing Hawkeye and pushing off. He flew up to a convenient rafter, dropping Hawkeye off, then flitted downwards, getting into position.

It was none too soon as the Winter Soldier finally grabbed Captain America's shield and hurled both shield and man to the ground. Captain America rolled, trying to bring the shield back up, but the Winter Soldier reached for what looked like an automatic rifle. Hawkeye's arrow sliced through the air, hitting the Winter Soldier's weapon before he could finish drawing it and knocking it to the ground; as the Winter Soldier bellowed his outrage, Booster Gold unleashed his Booster Shots again while he swooped between the Winter Soldier and the downed Captain America.

Booster Gold's force-field faced another testing as the Winter Soldier lunged, swinging his left fist into the shimmering barrier. The boy ended up on his knees as the barrier vibrated with the force of the blow. Above, Hawkeye's eyes widened in horror at her brother's plight. But the young hero was not so easily beaten. Turning his head, he yelled, "Beetle. Your gun; toss it!"

Blue Beetle responded immediately, hurling the gun as hard and as far as he could. It sailed over the distance, somehow covering a greater distance than the young man had ever been able to throw before. Booster Gold snatched it out of the air, adjusting something on it before turning towards the oncoming Winter Soldier. "Surprise, jerk," Booster Gold growled, before pointing the gun and pulling the trigger.

Light exploded out of the gun, a brilliant flash that lit the entire room as the Winter Soldier took the flare of light full in the face. The man, caught off guard and at point-blank range of the gun's firing, staggered back, throwing up an arm to protect his eyes. Booster Gold surveyed his opponent for one moment before shrugging, shifting, and landing a kick to the Winter Soldier's knee that sent the villain tumbling to the ground, finally down and out.

* * *

"Say it, sis," Lance taunted once the aftermath was over and Team One was – four hours later – released from the scene.

Alanna had an extremely disgruntled look on her face. But she wasn't giving up without a fight. "Say what?" she asked innocently.

"Come on, sis, who had the best costume?" Lance cajoled, ignoring the warning looks he was getting from every last adult.

Alanna sniffed primly. "Well, I _suppose_ your costume was…particularly well suited for tonight," she began. "But, to be honest, you wouldn't have had _nearly_ as good an outcome without that gun of Blue Beetle's."

"And," Greg put in, "Ace would have been much harder for you to handle without help; good thing you didn't have to tackle _him_ at all." As he spoke, he gave his nephew a _Look_ , still unhappy that _both_ of his _nipotes_ had put themselves in danger.

Lance gave both comments all the disdain he could muster, ignoring them as beneath his notice. He did, however, keep any additional remarks to himself.

It was Spike who asked the question that made every member of Team One groan and every kid, even the Wordsworth girls, laugh. "Hey Sarge? Can we do this again next year?"

 _~ Fin_


	6. Answers

Author's Note: I figured I'd give people some time to figure out who was who if they wanted to, but I also wanted to give you guys the master key. Enjoy. 

* * *

The Members of the Avengers League International

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Greg – Maxwell Coulson

Lance – Booster Gold

Alanna – Hawkeye

Ed – Mister Miracle

Sophie – Big Barda

Clark – Blue Beetle

Wordy – Captain America

Shelley – Black Widow

Claire – Trixie Collins (Goldstar)

Lilly – Ice

Allie – Black Canary

Jules – Pepper

Spike – Iron Man

Lou – War Machine

* * *

The character who did _not_ appear in either Justice League International _or_ the Marvel Movieverse is Goldstar. Goldstar is Booster's sidekick from time to time; the costume was first donned by his secretary: Trixie Collins and later was donned by Booster's sister: Michelle Carter. The costume appearance remained the same between the two heroines.


End file.
